Government to pilot restorative justice scheme

Restorative justice – a new way of dealing with offenders to make them accountable for their crimes and involve their victims in how they repair damage caused – will be tested in a pilot scheme, the Home Office has announced today.

Speaking at the Second Winchester International Restorative Justice Conference at the Winchester Guildhall today, Minister Paul Goggins said that the Justice Research Consortium has been chosen by the Home Office to run a research pilot that would divert "carefully selected offenders" away from court and into restorative justice.

Under the plan, criminals will agree what reparation they should make with their victim, and if they do not fulfil the agreement, they will be prosecuted as normal. It will take place in London and will encompass 400 cases. The pilot is planned to start in July and will run for just under two years.

Mr Goggins also released new guidance for restorative justice practitioners to help make sure they "effectively meet the needs of victims" and ensure that offenders restore the harm that they have caused.

Paul Goggins said: "More and more people are realising the enormous potential of restorative justice to benefit the criminal justice system and society as a whole. We are determined to put victims needs at the heart of the system, and this pilot will test one of the options to do this.

"There are strong signs from previous research that restorative justice is of great benefit to victims. It gives them the opportunity to tell offenders how they have been affected by crime, to get an apology and to have a say in what offenders will do to put right the harm they have caused. That helps them to move on from their experience more quickly and feel that justice has really been done."

He added: "This is something a prison sentence can never do and can enable victims to move on and get on with their lives. It also means that for the first time offenders will be personally held to account for the crimes they have committed."

Professor Lawrence W. Sherman, co-director of the Justice Research Consortium, said that the project would be the "largest controlled test" of restorative justice ever conducted with adults accused of indictable crimes.

The pilot will operate with support from the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Sir Ian Blair, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "Restorative justice practices have the potential to make London safer and we look forward along with the London Criminal Justice Board to making the most of this opportunity to test them thoroughly."

(gmcg)